A rare New Order recording from 1983 has seen light of day. The June 30th, 1983 gig at Cabaret Metro (now The Metro) in Chicago is one of two New Order shows widely considered to be the "holy grail" of lost New Order recordings (the other being New Order's first live gig July 30th, 1980 at The Beach Club in Manchester). No recording of the Chicago show was thought to exist for years, however one has emerged 34 years later.
The show took place on one of the hottest days ever recorded in Chicago -- 118 degrees Fahrenheit -- and the heat took a toll on the band and caused some technical drama, as Peter Hook detailed in his latest book Substance: Inside New Order:
"One of the hottest gigs I have ever done. It was so hot the fold-back engineer went out and bought a thermometer to measure it - 118 degrees Fahrenheit! The thermal cutouts on my Amcron DC330A's amplifiers (set at 120 degrees) kept shutting down and turning themselves off and on...the owner Joe Shanahan promised us he would fit air conditioning in for the next time we played and he did."
Despite all the issues that evening, the band performed at least 10 songs in the intense heat. Rumors swirled over the years regarding the setlist -- some fans claimed Joy Division songs were played; another prevailing rumor was that an acoustic version of "Blue Monday" was performed. However unless this material was edited out of this recording for some reason, it appears that these have proven to be unfounded rumors.
As for the particulars of how the recording emerged: A few months ago an individual contacted Analog Loyalist -- the audio genius who has previously shared remasters of vintage live material from Joy Division, New Order, and more. After communicating electronically with the anonymous source, AI met up with the individual who possessed the recording and was given a first generation copy. AI then refined the audio somewhat and posted it up on his website, Dime, and We Transfer.
NOTE: The file on We Transfer will remain active for a limited time (through Friday, August 12th). After that fans have been encouraged to pay it forward by providing a new link on We Transfer. Visit Analog Loyalist's website for more details, links, etc.
Stream the vintage recording below via Slicing Up Eyeballs
01. Confusion 0:00
02. Chosen Time 6:26
03. The Village 10:55
04. Truth 15:45
05. Leave Me Alone 20:37
06. Your Silent Face 27:35
07. Denial 33:45
08. Age Of Consent 39:04
09. Ceremony 44:35
10. In A Lonely Place 48:46
Published August 8th, 2017